Hydraulic fracturing of shale, commonly known as “fracking,” allows recovery of hydrocarbons trapped in the shale. The recovered hydrocarbons often have 1 to about 5 or more carbon atoms (referred to as C1-5+, where “C” refers to carbon, and the following number refers to the number of carbon atoms in the molecule), as well as sulfur containing compounds and other impurities. The recovered hydrocarbons are typically sent to a processing plant and fractionated into products based on the number of carbon atoms in the molecules of the product, such as natural gas (with methane and ethane), propane, butane, and pentane. The sulfur-containing compounds are removed from the products after fractionation, and the products are then further processed and/or sold. Each sulfur removal process requires capital expense for the equipment, as well as ongoing operating costs.
Accordingly, it is desirable to develop methods and systems for producing sulfur free propane, butane, and other hydrocarbon products from hydraulic fracturing processes and other C1-5+ streams. In addition, it is desirable to develop methods and systems for producing sulfur free hydrocarbon products with a reduced number of sulfur removal units. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present embodiment will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.